Australia’s beef exports to the US surge despite Trump tariffs
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The US is the biggest market for Australia’s almost A$14 billion beef and veal export sector.
PHOTO: AFP
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SYDNEY – Australia’s total beef exports to the US rose significantly in June in the face of US President Donald Trump’s new tariff regime, which saw the American leader specifically single out Canberra for refusing to accept adequate red meat imports.
Exports of chilled and frozen beef to the US jumped 23 per cent from June 2024, according to Meat & Livestock Australia data released on July 10.
Shipments in the first six months were up almost a third from the same period in 2024.
The US is the biggest market for Australia’s almost A$14 billion (S$11.7 billion) beef and veal export sector, and is one of America’s largest foreign sources of red meat.
Shipments to the US currently face a flat 10 per cent tariff, and Mr Trump singled out the nation for not buying enough US produce in the April press conference where he announced his administration’s “reciprocal” trade rates.
Exports to China more than doubled from June 2024 and were just a third below those to the US, the July 10 data showed.
Diplomatic tensions had hampered agricultural shipments between the two nations following the Covid-19 pandemic, although relations improved after the election of the centre-left Labor government in 2022, and trade has largely resumed. BLOOMBERG
